School: 1980-2000

    The Reagan Administration put out a 1983 report called “A Nation at Risk” which described how the American education system was failing to educate students well and gave a long list of recommendations on how to improve public schools. The main focus of this era was to create and educational system and curriculum that would prepare students to compete in the business driven world during the time. American students scored very poorly on 19 academic tests compared to other countries and 13% of 17 year olds were considered to be illiterate. Schools were to blame for the educational failures since they were found to have low standards and low quality that was not suitable for success. The school system tried to fix this through standardized testing so students can increase their knowledge and understanding of the materials they learn. Teachers were also required higher standards in their profession and better salaries too.

    The School Choice Plan in the 1990s allowed low income students to attend private schools at the tax payers’ expense. The National Educational Goals Panel was also created at the time to monitor and report on progress toward the National Education Goals. $420 million would then be distributed to achieving Goals 2000 which included improvements in readiness to begin school, high school graduation rates, student mastery of the curriculum, math and science achievements, adult literacy skills, and the elimination of drug use and violence in schools. About 80% of adults age 25 and up reported to have completed high school in the 1990 census and about 20% of adults in that age group reported to have received a bachelor’s degree. The standards movement would eventually die out in 1995 and teachers at that point had to continue to rely on their textbooks to decide what content to teach and assess.